Chapter Text
Spending Thanksgiving in the city hadn’t exactly been the plan, really. It just sort of happened. The firehouse was quiet when he woke up, which was a bit unsettling since Ray was so used to the common everyday noise.
Ever since his parents had passed, it had been somewhat like this around the holidays. His siblings didn’t exactly get along (nor were they very comfortable with Dr. Venkman or the concept of parapsychology), so they had all fallen into a rather comfortable silence among themselves after the funeral.
Rather than laying in bed and thinking about it, Ray figured he would get up and go out for a walk. Or maybe call up a friend. Was anyone still in town TO call?
Looking in the bathroom mirror, he glanced around at the telltale signs that Venkman and Spengler had been there; Egon’s spare glasses on top of the counter, Peter’s uniform half hanging out of the hamper he had set up (despite hardly using it). He hoped their day was going well, and that Peter wasn’t freaking out Dana’s family too early on. Egon was meeting Janine’s extended family for the first time today too, and he was sure that would be an interesting sight.
“Poor Spengs,” he laughed, shaking his head and imagining Egon trying to socialize. Ray was sure he’d hear all about it from Janine when they came back.
After a quick shower and a glance through his contacts, he remembered something you had mentioned last week when you had stopped by the firehouse about staying in the city for the holiday. Would you be interested in spending time with him? It was worth a shot, he supposed.
Meanwhile, across town, you had just gotten up to start the day at your own place. A long phone call with your folks back home had really been the start, but you hadn’t left your bed for that. Family was a complex subject, one that you often didn’t get too deep into. You could have gone home, sure, but you didn’t think you could’ve handled that this year.
You yourself had just finished washing your face and hair when your phone rang again, and you turned your speakers down to hear it better as you picked up your living room phone.
“Hello?” You ran a towel through your damp hair, plopping down on your couch.
Ray was surprised that you had picked up so quickly, and felt a flash of embarrassment before clearing his throat.
“Uh, hey! Happy Thanksgiving,” he started, and you smiled. You knew that voice anywhere.
“Same to you! What’s up?” You curled your legs underneath yourself, softening up at the sound of Ray’s voice. You had been friends for a long time, and had a crush on him for nearly just as long. Although, that part of your feelings was far less pronounced.
“Nothing, um...I wasn’t doing anything today, and I remembered you saying you were staying in the city, and I wondered if you would want to get together? Er— I mean...“ he trailed off, and you couldn’t help smiling.
“That sounds great. Should I come to you?”
“Sure! I mean, Uh...if you’re up for it, I am,” he nodded despite the fact that he knew you couldn’t see him, his spiky hair still slightly damp. Neither one of you had prepared to cook, but thankfully your mutually favorite Chinese place was open today, so that seemed like the best option.
You made a plan to grab some food and head over to the firehouse, eager to see the sweet Ghostbuster again.
***
You two had met a long time ago, back when Ray, Venkman and Spengler were still working at Columbia. Spengler was the first one you had met; your first impression of him had been that he was strange, albeit very polite, but you had gotten a better picture of who he was when he had asked you if you’d seen a banshee in the library one week. You worked there, so you supposed it made sense despite how odd it was.
After he had asked you if you would volunteer for some sort of experiment involving a brain scan and hypnosis, and Venkman had tried to hit on you in the process of Egon asking, Ray had come to apologize. Egon wasn’t exactly the people person of the team (and Peter tended to forget manners altogether), so Ray would often have to handle that part.
The minute you had met him, you knew he was something special. Very handsome, incredibly cute, and wicked smart. To say you had had a crush on him for a good few years was an understatement. It was obvious to everyone, especially Janine and Winston, that you two had underlying feelings that you never addressed.
Thank god he was too oblivious to catch when Janine teased him about it, you had thought. The one thing that always caught your attention in regards to him was that he always seemed to be alone.
Not that he was ever left out, per se, but on days like the holidays, you never heard him talk about going anywhere. Even Winston had talked to you about it once before, concerned for his friend and even going the extra mile to invite him to come and meet his mother and father one weekend during the previous Christmas season.
Ray’s politeness often got the better of him, however, so he often opted to be alone. Maybe, just maybe, you could help him change that. You could worry about feelings if it ever came to that. For now, you were simply spending an afternoon with someone you liked and cared about, and you wanted to leave it at that.
***
The food was warm in your lap as your cab stopped outside the firehouse. Paying the driver, you grabbed the to-go bag and got out, eagerly heading up to the door. Ray had left it open, which you had expected, and you headed inside.
It was weird seeing the place so dark and quiet; Janine’s empty desk sat in the very front, and you couldn’t help smiling at the picture of her and Egon that she kept beside the phone.
It was a rare instance of seeing the serious scientist smile; they were at Coney Island, standing beside the Ferris wheel. Egon towered over her, and she couldn’t have smiled any wider as she held his hand. He was still wearing suit pants despite the photo having been taken in summer, a white shirt rolled up to the elbows as Janine stood next to him in a pair of shorts and a patterned blouse. They were cute together, and you couldn’t help but laugh at how long it had taken for Egon to wake up and smell the roses in regards to Janine.
Snapping back to reality, you headed upstairs to where you figured Ray was, seeing the light coming from beneath the door of where the guys usually hung out. Giving a knock, Ray answered in record time, his eyes bright as he ushered you in.
“Hey! I’m glad you came!” He said. His smile really was infectious, and you happily leaned into the hug he gave you.
“Me too! I wasn’t up to anything today. I’m glad you called,” you admitted, seeing that he had cleared the space of all equipment. Aside from the monitors along the wall, the space almost seemed homey.
The room itself was fairly spacious; with the coffee machine in the corner and a few arcade games here and there, it could’ve easily doubled as an apartment space. The door to the bedroom was open slightly; Ray’s bed was the only one made. You guessed it was his, at least, since Peter and Egon probably wouldn’t have bothered to make theirs.
In a way, it was incredibly sweet that he had cared enough to clean up so thoroughly just for you to bring over some Chinese takeout, but it was incredibly fitting to the type of person Ray was.
Chinese food for thanksgiving may not have been typical, but it was unique to the two of you, and neither one of you had a complaint.
“Are you up for the Charlie Brown thanksgiving special?” He asked, going to turn on the nearby television for you both.
“I love that one! It’s either that or MTV,” you chuckled, getting out the food and beginning to divide it between the two of you. The both of you decided to forego the card table in favor of the nearby sofa, talking over childhood memories as the program played on TV.
“We used to watch this one back home, my siblings and I,” Ray said. “My brother would always fight with me over who would get the wishbone from the Turkey. Mom would have to separate us.”
You knew about his past somewhat, and about the fact that he and his siblings didn’t talk much anymore, but you didn’t know the full story. Putting your chopsticks back into the container you were eating from, you turned to face him a bit more.
“Has it been a while since you’ve seen them? If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me, of course,” you said, and he gave a slight shrug.
“I don’t mind. Me and Carl don’t speak much anymore, no. Jean calls me sometimes, but she and Carl don’t really talk. Ever since our parents passed, it just hasn’t been the same.”
They had gone missing in a plane somewhere over the Bermuda Triangle, you remembered him telling you. It was unimaginable to you, that kind of grief combined with never knowing what had happened to them. But maybe it was best not to linger on it, you thought, attempting to put him at ease again.
“My family is kind of complicated too. I mean, I didn’t really go back this year just because I didn’t think I could handle it. They didn’t exactly want me moving to the city, so far from home.”
He quietly appreciated you averting the conversation towards yourself, leaning over to turn the light on as it began to get dark.
“What does Spengler have going over there?” You asked after a beat, noticing some strange equipment that you knew had to be Egon’s.
“That? Oh! He’s improving the brain wave monitoring he does when we interview people about their paranormal experiences. He found this new headpiece that’s apparently supposed to be way more receptive due to the metal alloys inside.”
“That’s really cool! Has he improved his approach to asking people about it at all?”
“The honest answer? No, I still handle that part.” He laughed heartily from within his chest, and you easily could’ve melted on the spot. He reminded you a great deal of a golden retriever at times.
There was another beat between you both before Ray spoke again, remembering what you had said about moving to the city before.
“Hey, if it’s any consolation, I’m glad you moved to the city,” Ray said, in that incredibly sweet way of his, and you couldn’t help smiling. Janine would’ve given you all sorts of hell about it had she been here, you knew.
“Huh? Oh, me too. It means I get to spend thanksgiving with a ghostbuster. My friends will be so jealous!” A laugh escaped you as you said this, and it even got a smile and a laugh from Ray.
“Why would they be jealous?”
“I mean, you ARE on TV!” Both of you were laughing now, leaning into each other and feeling full and content. You were friends, so it didn’t have to mean anything. At least, that’s what you told yourself.
You spent a long time not saying much, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that both of you accepted the fact that you were sleepy from eating so much good food. You didn’t mind, really. Besides, a little nap couldn’t hurt. Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself to doze off, with Ray following close behind not too long after.
Of course, only a fool would believe that this would only turn into a short nap, and before long, you were both out cold.
It was quite the surprise, however, to Venkman and Janine. They returned the next morning to find the two of you laying back into the couch, with Ray’s head resting comfortably on your chest.
Oh boy, you were in for it when you woke up. Janine already had her mind made up, you were never living this one down.